MBA Finance

The MBA Finance degree aims to provide students with an opportunity at an advanced level to develop expertise and skills relevant to the exercising of senior management functions within private, public and not-for-profit sectors. It takes an international perspective with a finance focus. It inspires new ways of thinking and prepares you for senior management.

The degree is designed to give graduates a firm grounding in the theories and practice of general management. The specialism in finance gives further depth to your MBA, allowing you to prepare for specific career paths. It equips and prepares students to make a major contribution to the performance of organisations in international environments. The study of MBA Finance is therefore seen as an important and necessary task for the development of tomorrow’s business professionals.

Course Structure

The MBA Finance is a one-year full-time programme. The programme is delivered in three distinct stages. This offers flexibility of entry and exit stages.

PG Certificate

• International Marketing Planning
• Management Finance
• Organisational Analysis
• Transnational Corporations and Emerging Markets.

PG Diploma

• Strategies for Responsible Business
• Business and Ethical Decision Making
• Corporate Finance
• International Finance.

MBA

• Dissertation including Research Preparation.

Modules

The modules at Certificate and Diploma stage are all 15 M points. In total students will take eight taught modules and one long dissertation.

The modules are so designed to facilitate sequential progression through the stages. Each stage combines both theoretical and practical elements.

The first session with students will combine an induction session with the first taught modules.

Certificate and Diploma stage modules will be assessed by summative assessment of approximately 4,000 words or equivalent. Key to assessment strategy will be the ability to base an assessment from each of the Masters stages on a ‘live’ company project.

Each student will be allocated a dissertation supervisor. The dissertation will also be first and second marked and written feedback will be provided to the participants.

The Certificate Modules

International Marketing Planning

A clear and detailed understanding of International Marketing Planning underpins the whole process of marketing analysis, implementation and control. International Marketing Planning is therefore one of the fundamental and most important management functions and philosophies. The module reflects this and has been designed to provide students with a clear understanding of the strategic International Marketing Planning process, and of the ways in which marketing is capable of contributing to increase the effective performance of an organisation. In doing this, we focus upon the strategic and tactical management of the marketing function, with a particular emphasis being placed upon issues of marketing excellence, learning from best practice, and market-led strategic change.

Organisational Analysis

This Module will provide a comprehensive introduction to the theory of organisations and associated human behaviour and managerial practices. Understanding of the ways in which organisations have developed during the twentieth century has been the subject of considerable and often conflicting debate. This Module will critically examine the “traditional” approaches of organisational theory and further consideration will be given to the structure and dynamics of organisations in order to address the problems associated with transfer of managerial practices. Ideologies of the worker and management will also be explored.

Managerial Finance

Students are introduced to the role of finance and accountancy in profit seeking firms. Key aspects of this module include the study of:

1. Marginal costing
2. Pricing
3. Investment appraisal
4. Cash planning
5. Financial analysis
6. Planning, budgeting and standard costing
7. Multicurrency finance for importers and exporters.

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Evaluate the role of finance and accountancy in profit seeking firms
2. Calculate and use simple costing and pricing models
3. Evaluate and use investment appraisal methods
4. Carry out simple financial analysis
5. Evaluate the importance of financial plans
6. Evaluate the techniques which importers and exporters may use to avoid or reduce exchange rate risk.

Transnational Corporations in Emerging Markets

The purpose of this module is to critically appraise and analyse the major changes within Emerging Markets. These markets offer huge opportunities for growth in the shifting power of the World Economy. The module will then go on to critically evaluate the various emerging markets and their models of development including China, India, BRIC Countries, Africa, South East Asian countries and the markets of Eastern Europe for investment opportunities.. The module will then consider entry strategies for these markets drawing on case country and company evidence. Investment performance of firms will also be considered .Focus will be made on strategies of transnational corporations.

The Diploma Modules

Strategies for Responsible Business

The purpose of this module is to reflect and support the changing agenda for senior managers in organisations. Increasingly managers have become over-focused on the problem of combining profitability, efficiency and sustainability; at worst this has directly led, and at best has at least contributed, to the current dire economic situation.

It is evident that to be successful in the future businesses will need to be both viable in a commercial sense and at the same time either demonstrate a responsible attitude towards corporate governance that encompasses a wider community of stakeholders, or be subject to ever more restrictive regulation. Accordingly, to meet this requirement while avoiding strict regulation, there is a need for senior managers and those who aspire to that status to have a longer term and more responsible view of the business enterprise rather than simply aiming for short-term profit maximisation.

This module is therefore designed to augment and to support these objectives by encouraging and enabling students to develop the intellectual and professional acumen needed for the conception and analysis of responsible business strategies; to make appropriate choices between strategic options, and then to follow a strategic trajectory that will deliver results that are commercially robust, ethically sound and socially responsible. Throughout the emphasis will be on the need for strong and sustainable corporate governance concepts to be adduced, espoused and enacted.

Business and Ethical Decision Making

In organisations, a significant amount of time is engaged in decision making and problem solving. With the increasing complexity of organisational dynamics there is a greater demand for original and ethical solutions to complex problems. This module responds to that demand by combining theory with an exploration of real problem scenarios based on student’s own experiences.

From such an exploration, students will gain theoretical and practical insights that will better prepare them to manage decision making processes in current and future organisational settings.

This module is designed to help students develop their decision and problem-solving skills further whilst expanding the conceptual frameworks that students use to think about these situations. Students look at some more unusual approaches to the solving of complex problems and at techniques used outside their own organisation and experience. Throughout the module students will be expected to draw upon their own experiences and relate these to the theories, concepts and methods being presented.

International Finance

International Finance develops the constructs of financial management decision making within the context of multicurrency and multi jurisdictions. It focuses on the strategies and tactics adopted by MNEs to analyse and reduce their risks in multicurrency operations. It aims to encourage students to develop critical thinking about such practises. Throughout the module students will be expected to draw upon their own experiences and relate these to the theories, concepts and methods being presented.

This module builds upon the foundations set out in the Certificate stage, and provides a financial background for other modules at the Diploma stage.

Corporate Finance

Corporate Finance introduces the constructs of financial management decision making in modern firms and focuses on investment appraisal and the financing of the firm, dividend policy, capital structure and risk. This module is designed to familiarise students with the major theoretical developments and practices in the areas of corporate finance. It aims to encourage students to develop critical thinking about the advantages and disadvantages of diverse practices in areas of capital budgeting, dividend policy, capital structure and risk analysis. Throughout the module students will be expected to draw upon their own experiences and relate these to the theories, concepts and methods being presented.

This module will lay the foundations of corporate finance which are essential to the understanding of finance.

Research Design and Dissertation

The dissertation provides an opportunity for students with wide ranging experience and interests to apply existing skills and knowledge, including that which is gained through the taught modules of the programme, within the context of their International Marketing. The dissertation provides the opportunity to demonstrate the ability to reflect critically on the aspects relating to the International Marketing programme. The vehicle will be the researching and writing of a dissertation, based on the research proposal formulated during the pre-requisite module. The dissertation is the capstone of the Masters learning process, and allows the student to demonstrate mastery in scholarship of a programme related topic that they have selected in amalgamation with supervisory tutors. The Masters stage comprises two integrated elements: the dissertation and an underpinning research methods module.

Many staff have masters degrees and doctorates. All staff have extensive experience of teaching on degrees with an international focus.

The faculty performed very well in the latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) securing the highest ever standard by the Business School. In addition the National Student Survey rates the Lincoln Business School as one of the highest achievers in student experience and satisfaction. The Accountancy and Finance group came first in the UK whilst Marketing and Tourism both held second place.

All modules (except for the dissertation) will be assessed by the equivalent of one 4,000 word written assignment.

Recent graduates have returned to their sponsoring organisations or countries of origin to greatly enhanced career opportunities. Others have started their own businesses. A number have joined the Highly Qualified Skilled Migrant Programme, an initiative run by the UK government.

Applicants will need a good degree from a recognised institution. In addition, it is normally expected that students will have a minimum of two years relevant work experience. However, as our aim is to widen opportunities, we will consider applications from graduates who do not have two years work experience, but whose academic and/or experiential profile indicates that they could undertake the programme and benefit from it.

Students whose first language is not English should also have IELTS 6.0 or equivalent.

For further information about fees, scholarships and bursaries please see our Fees & Funding pages.

Fees and Funding

Jennifer Johnson
jjohnson@lincoln.ac.uk  
Telephone: +44 (0)1522 837314

Katie Rushbrook
krushbrook@lincoln.ac.uk  
Telephone: +44 (0)1522 835521

Or email LBS@lincoln.ac.uk.